Workshop: Is Science Inconsistent?
Peter Vickers
A one-day workshop:
“Is Science Inconsistent?”
Saturday 21st June 2008.
Organised by the Division of History and Philosophy of Science,
University of Leeds.
Recently there has been regenerated interest in inconsistency in
science, sparked by
Mathias Frisch’s Inconsistency, Asymmetry and Non-locality (OUP,
2005). The remarkable
central claim of this book is that classical electrodynamics is an
inconsistent theory.
Various commentators have taken issue with this claim on different
grounds. Perhaps in
the end it comes down to what the theory of classical electrodynamics
exactly is. Is
there a single thing—the theory—or a cluster of different theories?
And is the theory
even the kind of thing which can be called inconsistent? Is Frisch
right in saying that
‘theories do not have a tight deductive structure’?
The workshop aims to extend the debate beyond the boundaries of classical
electrodynamics. In past decades there have been many investigations
into apparently
inconsistent theories, including Aristotle’s theory of motion, the
early calculus of
Newton and Leibniz, Newtonian cosmology, Planck’s theory of black body
radiation, Bohr’s
theory of the atom and, more recently, quantum field theory. In
addition to these
examples there is a wealth of examples of inter-theory conflicts, both
past and present.
However, the fact that the weaker word ‘conflict’ is often used is
indicative of the
continuing uncertainty about what place inconsistency has in science.
Similarly with use
of the word ‘paradox’. Are these scientific conflicts and paradoxes cases of
inconsistency as logicians understand the term? And if not, is there
warrant to call them
‘conflicts’ at all?
The Division of History and Philosophy of Science at Leeds has a
long history of
studies into inconsistency in science and belief sets generally. Past
years have seen A.
Bobenrieth M., Otavio Bueno and Steven French write extensively on
inconsistency, both
within and without science. More recently the interest in
inconsistency has been taken up
by Peter Vickers, Juha Saatsi and Angelo Cei. Combining these studies
with Mathias
Frisch’s new ideas should make for an interesting and productive meeting.
Provisional Schedule:
Saturday, June 21st
Department of Philosophy
University of Leeds
10.30 – 11.00: Coffee
11.00 – 12.15: ‘Conceptual problems in classical electrodynamics’ –
Mathias Frisch,
University of Maryland.
12.15 – 13.15: Buffet Lunch
13.15 – 14.30: ‘Was Newtonian cosmology really inconsistent?’ – Peter
Vickers, University
of Leeds.
14.30 – 14.45: Coffee
14.45 – 16.00: ‘Inconsistency and scientific realism’ – Juha Saatsi,
University of Leeds.
The workshop is open to all. There will be a £10 registration fee,
payable on the day, to
help towards the coffee breaks and buffet lunch. A limited number of
bursaries will be
made available for students to help towards travel expenses. To secure
a bursary early
registration is advised.
The deadline for registration is Friday, June 6th.
Those who wish to stay may join us for a workshop dinner at one of
Leeds’ excellent
restaurants (aiming at approx. £15 per head).
To register, and for more information, contact:
Peter Vickers (phl...@leeds.ac.uk)
Department of Philosophy
University of Leeds
Woodhouse Lane
Leeds LS2 9JT
--
Peter Vickers
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT
UK
email: phl...@leeds.ac.uk
web page: http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/%7Ephl4pv/
"So much the better for those who prefer to live without being enslaved to
idols heavily coated with scientific veneer." (Jaki, 1969)
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Peter Vickers
A one-day workshop in the history and philosophy of science.
Saturday 21st June at the University of Leeds.
Due to generous additional funding from the BSPS and the University of
Leeds Department of Philosophy it has been possible to add a new
speaker, Otávio Bueno, to the programme.
To see the new programme, and for full details of the workshop, please
visit the website:
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/%7Ephl4pv/Is%20Science%20Inconsistent.htm
Peter Vickers
A one-day workshop in the history and philosophy of science.
Saturday 21st June at the University of Leeds.
The deadline for registration is this coming Friday (6th June).
Some bursaries are still available to help students with the cost of travel.
For further details and the full programme please visit the website:
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/%7Ephl4pv/Is%20Science%20Inconsistent.htm
--
Peter Vickers
The workshop 'Is Science Inconsistent?' will take place at the
University of Leeds this coming Saturday:
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/%7Ephl4pv/Is%20Science%20Inconsistent.htm
A travel bursary has come available for an external postgraduate
student. If anyone is interested, although the deadline for
registration is past an exception will be made.
Best,
Peter Vickers